With more time at home, a new wave of crafters is emerging, which is a wonderful side effect of the crazy world we are living in. Where a lot of people are finding more time to sew, I have never had so much time away from my sewing machine. I could have worked around a new born but there is no escaping from a 4 year old that is home from nursery. Well, today I decided to get George involved in an easy sewing project, so we made some bunting for our greenhouse. Since it is such an easy make, I thought it might give some inspiration to those that are new to sewing or that want a project to do with kids.
I have used Stewart Hillards Rainbow Etchings fabric from the Craft Cotton Co. I have sold out of it now, but I had some left over from a quilt I made. I love it so much, it is great to get as much use out of it as possible.
YOU WILL NEED
Card for template
Fabric
Rotary Cutter and Mat (or scissors if you don't have one)
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Binding
METHOD
1. Make your template - You can make your flags any size to suit the fabric you have to work with. Mine is 6" wide at the top and 8" tall. This would be a great task to delegate to any kids you may be home-schooling at the moment. I have used a bit of card from some packaging to make the template.
2. Cut two flags for each one you want to make. I have made 8 so cut 16 flags. I have used my rotary cutter to cut around the template. To avoid going through the card, you can use a ruler on top of the template. If you do not have a rotary cutter, mark the fabric with some chalk or a fabric pen and cut out your flags with scissors.
3. Pair up all your flags with right sides together. Sew the two long edges with a straight stitch and turn at the point. George loves sitting on my lap when I sew. He is in charge of the foot. I don't use pins, but you can pin them together if you prefer.
4. You will need to clip your points, so they aren't too bulky when they are turned out. Below shows the flags sewn, trimmed, turned and pressed. Use something pointy to push out the point. I use my loop turner, but a knitting needle works well too. Repeat all these steps with all your flags.
5. Now you need to add the binding. The binding will enclose the raw edges and give it a nice neat finish. Allow a good sized tail to tie the ends. Mine is around 20-30cm. Pin your flags in place. The space you leave between the flags is a personal preference. I tend to leave around 1". Sew close to the edge, ensuring the binding is folded equally to it sews on equally on both sides. On the short ends, fold the raw edge in so it doesn't fray and backstitch at the start and finish.
Your bunting is finished, now you just need to find the perfect spot to hang it. Ours went in the greenhouse. I will say at this point that I expect the fabric will fade over time with it being outside, but it will be worth it while it looks so pretty for this summer. I would love to hear from you if you have been inspired to make some bunting.
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Here is the quilt I made using these fabrics. The pattern was taken from the Search Press Book "Simply Modern Patchwork Quilts".
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